Since the mid 1990s public universities around the country have developed honors colleges as a way to improve their image nationally and compete with private institutions for the best and brightest students. Despite the perceived negative effects concerning the elite reputation of the Honors Tutorial College amongst the general population of students, the program undeniably benefits OU and distinguishes it from other schools with similar programs.
Everyone associated with OU should appreciate the benefits that such a program has on the university. The HTC has been a fixture at OU for decades. It is the oldest, largest and most academically diverse institution of its kind in the United States. The reputation that accompanies a program of this prestige clearly has the ability to attract the upper caliber of students and potentially boost enrollment from Ohio and highly coveted out of state students.
With such an aura of esteem inevitably comes special privileges, like priority scheduling, smaller classes and honors student only dorms. This special treatment is often the battle cry of the general student population, but such claims are unfounded and unjustified in the larger scope of the university.
Normally there are about 220 HTC students enrolled at the university during any given year, which constitutes only about 1 percent of OU's total enrollment. This limited population would have virtually no negative effects on class scheduling for the majority of students. Despite conspiracy theories circulated around the campus, there is no honors rush to hoard roster spaces for various classes. Instead, frustrations concerning being closed out of classes need to be checked and correctly attributed to the system of scheduling by credit hours earned. However, such a claim is as clearly ridiculous as one that alleges that HTC students affect every other student's schedule.
Another myth surrounding the HTC is that because of relatively small classes, students have more of an opportunity to foster close working relationships with professors and other important contacts. This idea is somewhat true, but it would be a hasty generalization to assume all HTC students are tight with their professors. Smaller classes are conducive to personal interaction, but the development of such a relationship is solely in the power of students. Any student that deliberately seeks out a professor for advice, guidance or general wisdom can maintain a relationship, regardless of the college they are enrolled in.
The mob mentality should no longer rule here in Athens. HTC students are not a secret society at OU that conducts ritual sacrifices in Hoover or Read Hall. They are simply individuals who have seized an opportunity presented to them and operate under the guidelines of their college. The HTC is a valuable institution to the university and should be embraced by the majority of the student body. The rising trend around the country has shown that public universities benefit from these programs, and OU students should respect that.
Unfair and balanced
In a controversial move, Sinclair Broadcast Group, the owner of the largest chain of TV stations in the United States, has ordered its stations to air Stolen Honor
a documentary that accuses Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., of hurting the American war effort and undermining morale of troops during the Vietnam War. All 62 stations in Sinclair's network will show the documentary in prime time next week without commercial interruptions. Even in a world where accusations of bias are bandied about like confetti, this is a surprising step.
For many years, FCC regulations required broadcasters to provide equal time to both sides of a political question, whether a contested presidential race or a local bond issue. Networks could air programs like Stolen Honor obviously partisan pieces that reflected their or others' politics, but were required to give opponents an opportunity to respond. That rule died during the Reagan administration, and whereas lazy news directors have since appreciated not having to host political tennis matches, public discourse has suffered.
Broadcast companies have enormous power over the masses. Sinclair's stations can reach an estimated one-fourth of the households in the country, with a number of stations in swing states like Ohio, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin. But because executives have cynically labeled their show news they are getting away with using the public airwaves as a bully pulpit. And they know what they're doing. Variety reported yesterday that some TV executives fear a Kerry Administration might try to reinstitute the equal time rules. That would be a wise move for whichever candidate is elected.
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